Show birds, Tiny Tim, a cool calendar and a Paris Hilton Pig – We’re loopy for Things this week!

The calendar is set and the show birds are in position. We even have an exhibition of what should aptly be described as grotesquely intriguing (Not quite the remit of Stephen Fry’s QI but we’ll go there all in the name of Things voyeurism). And just like the sandwich that doesn’t need any more sauce, we’re going to slap a ladle load of spiced gravy on top, wrapping things up with lovely illustration and art. Strap yourselves in people, Things are about to get real!

Luke Stephenson: An incomplete dictionary of show birds

So, on the first stop of this whistle stop tour of goodness, we’re going to drop in on a publication that massages the eye and speaks volumes about culture and creation. This feathered beauty is An incomplete dictionary of show birds by Luke Stephenson which showcases an amalgamation of birds bred by humans, revealing underlying messages that tweet of the culture that created them. The birds here are not just natural, but cultural creatures living in an “overlap between the natural and man made world”. Lovely stuff.

Rob Ryan’s Calendar

Next up, we were graced with a desk-like organisational piece of candy. We all need to know the date, and we all love nice things. So Rob Ryan’s calendar pretty much has all the bases covered, almost creating a child-like scuffle here as to who’s desk it should live on. Luckily, the unfortunate discussion was diffused by the fact that Rob Ryan is a diamond and sent us more than one! This pop-up piece of craftsmanship will help any beholder to organise their lives and continue to please. Cheers Rob!

The Loop

Have I hooked you in yet!? Come on, it’s Saturday and you’re about to be introduced to a magazine that thinks it’s a newspaper! We’re in the grips of The Loop , a magazine for kids aged 9 – 13, here to either entertain the more innocent side of your life or to promote the next generation of creative minds so we can carry on talking about the things we love for years to come. Inside, you will find content linked together with some gorgeous illustration, graphic design, art and tales of the extraordinary – “from tongue-shredding mutant tomatoes to dogs in space”. How could you refuse. I think we should all #Go-loopy and approach creativity with childlike enthusiasm forever!

Hurt you bad #1 Concealed Intentions

Hurt you bad #1 Concealed Intentions is the product of years of toil and selfless sacrifice. It’s a rather lovely publication to hold in your hands and the content immediately grips you with its edgy boldness while never losing sight of its aims or its depth. The exploration of a graffiti culture extends beyond picturing graffiti, flowing into all aspects of experience, and so this magazine is essentially “a graffiti magazine with little or no graffiti in it”. What it does have though, it does well, presenting me with one of the most shocking double-page spreads I’ve seen in years – Interlude #2, Pig to Paris under the subtitle How far will you go for fame? by Selena WMD is astounding. The pictures speak for themselves so flick along through and check it out for yourselves.

Tiny Tim

Lastly, we had the pleasure of receiving a package that kept on giving. Tiny Tim is a book full of drawings by Tim Enthoven and an essay by Jan Van Tienen (editor in chief of the trendy flock over at Vice Magazine). The publication itself takes the form of many individual pieces held together in a special folder, inviting the kind of exploration where you never know what you’ll stumble across. Containing the excitement you feel when you are nine looking up naughty words in the dictionary, I can inform you all (while trying my best not to blush) that you definitely bump into some vivid illustration that you can almost taste!

I’m not quite sure how it’s already July, but another month has rolled by which means it’s time for a studio round-up of all things bright and beautiful. This month we’ve had everything from a spoof map of the stars set in “the most boring part of Hollywood,” a great little book of illustrations and rhyming one-liners about a stalker, and a couple of attention-grabbing alternatives to business cards and work-update emails. Here’s June!h3. Josh Jones: Hollywood

The area around my desk has all but been taken over by all the great stuff everyone sends us. It’s been really tough picking out the best bits and pieces but the situation was fast becoming something of a health and safety hazard and imminent danger has a way of making everything much clearer. This month there’s everything from a card game to a photography magazine to a loo roll of design criticism (what?). Here’s Things!h3. Henry Thomas Lloyd: Hot Air

The last time I wrote a Things round-up was back in December 2011 so please forgive me if I’m out of practice. Of course I’ve been furiously tearing into the post on a daily basis since my last instalment, but I’ve not been able to wax lyrical about it as regularly as I’d like. I’m going to relish this opportunity. So without further ado here’s my top ten tasty treats from the plentiful pile of post this month. Somebody stop me!
h3. Giulia Garbin: Tipi Di Torino

It’s been a very, very long time since I wrote a Things post, and what fun it is to delve into the box once again and pick out the best bits and bobs from the last month. This list is very publication-heavy and I apologise for that, but that’s kind of the majority of what we get sent anyway, so until people start sending us crates of cheese and wine or frisbees (anyone?) that’s just the way it is. So, without further ado here are the best gems the postman has delivered to the It’s Nice That studio this month. Enjoy!h3. Kyle Pellet – Wonkyvision

So many great books, prints and cards have been flying through the letterbox that we got kind of distracted reading and forgot to post any of it last week, so here’s a slightly belated round-up of quality publishing in various shapes and sizes. Keep ’em comin’!
h3. Annu Kilpeläinen: Prints

We love stuff! We love stuff so much that we actively encourage you to send it to us, and when you do, we tear the packaging from it and send it whirling to the floor while dancing around clutching your stuff with joy. (Not a euphemism.) Contrary to popular belief, January is a pretty good month for creative endeavours, or so our bulging supply of cool new stuff would lead us to believe. Here are ten of the best ones from January!h3. Pica Editions: Super-Food